Volunteers keep Washington Health System humming
Ask any one of the volunteers who donate their time and their talents to Washington Health System Washington Hospital, and chances are you will get a different answer from each of them.
Fact is, the volunteers come from all age groups, which provide a wide variety of skill sets. And their answers may vary as to why they give of themselves to assist the hospital staff in caring for patients and supporting family members.
In all, there are more than 400 volunteers providing support on a regular basis at Washington Hospital. In the year 2013, they provided more than 59,700 hours of volunteer service. Of that total, more than 8,300 hours were logged by Youth Volunteers. The volunteers have done almost every kind of duties, from working at the reception desk in the main lobby, spending hours in the gift shop, serving as greeters and attendants in waiting rooms and in the outpatient surgery department, assisting office staff, providing support for patients and families in the Emergency Room and lending their time and talent in all phases of the Hospital’s operation.
Volunteers can also be seen in other facilities of Washington Health System including clinical and non-clinical areas. In all, there some 30 departments within Washington Health System in which volunteers can be found on a daily basis.
The volunteers of the Washington Health come in a wide variety of age groups who bring with them special areas of talent and expertise.
Youth can begin volunteer service in Washington Health System from the age of 14. Many of them stay on as volunteers as they reach adulthood, sometimes returning as they enter their chosen career field, or often times returning after they retire. The Junior Volunteer Program at the Washington Health System provides teens with a unique opportunity to provide their own blend of personal service while many times learning about a career in health care.
The volunteers at Washington Health System have been a part of The Washington Hospital since the hospital first opened to the public in 1897.
Director of Volunteer Services, Kathy Michalovich said a group of women of the community began fund raising in 1892 to help build Washington’s first hospital. The first facility had five private rooms and two wards, with a 20 bed capacity. The volunteer’s first “official” project for the new hospital was to raise $2,400 to furnish the kitchen, and purchase a portable x-ray machine.
The Washington Health System and Washington Hospital have come a long way since the formative years, but the mission of the volunteer has remained constant–and today’s volunteers continue to do so because they have their own purpose and reasons for helping.
“I look for people who are sincere, and have a sense of dedication,” Ms. Michalovicz says when talking about seeking new volunteers. “You can usually determine that through the interview. Volunteers usually come with a mission in mind. Whether it’s personal, or it serves a specific purpose. The (volunteers) or a loved one received great care as a patient, or they want to give back to the community in a meaningful way.”
After the interview, the volunteer (adult and youth) undergoes a training program and an introduction to hospital policy and procedures. They receive a health screening and are provided with vaccinations if needed, and a skin screening for TB.
“The Volunteers are invaluable,” Ms. Michalovicz says. “One of our volunteers recently said: ‘I come because I get so much back from the little I give, and the people we serve are so appreciative of the help we give.'
“Our Health System would certainly still function without volunteers, but they are a very valuable part of our ‘team’. They say when a collection of minds and hearts work together, great things happen—and at the Washington Health System, great things are happening.”
Volunteer applications are available from the Volunteer office or by calling the Washington Health System Volunteer office at 724-2237114.